In marine engine applications, heat exchangers using closed loop cooling systems are known. In such a system, the engine's cooling fluid, typically ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, passes through the engine where it is heated. The heated glycol then flows to a heat exchanger, where the glycol is cooled.
One method of cooling the engine's cooling fluid before it is recycled through the inside of the engine again, is to pass water, either salt or fresh water, from the waterway in which the boat is being used, to the heat exchanger. The water passes through a plurality of tubes in which the water is heated from the heated glycol. The heated water is then expelled or discharged back into the waterway from which it entered the tubes of the heat exchanger. The glycol is pumped into the heat exchanger and passed along a predetermined path inside the heat exchanger where the water filled tubes function to absorb the heat from the glycol. This reduces the temperature of the glycol to where it can reenter the engine and absorb heat from the engine again. This process repeats itself over and over.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,906 discloses a heat exchanger for a marine engine adapted to sit between opposed sides of a V-shaped internal combustion marine engine. Often, engine components are located between the opposed manifolds of a V-shaped internal combustion engine so the heat exchanger must be located in a different location.
The heat exchanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,906 is cylindrical in shape. In many marine applications, a cylindrical-shaped heat exchanger is not practical due to size limitations. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a heat exchanger which is a different shape which may more easily fit into a marine environment.
Another drawback of known heat exchangers for use in marine engines is that they are not as efficient as desired. Therefore, a heat exchanger for use in a marine engine, which has increased efficiency due to increased surface area of the heat exchanger elements, would be desirable.